PORTLAND — Sen. Angus King says too many Mainers are being denied a “gateway to economic and educational opportunity in the 21st century” by lack of high-speed Internet in the state.

The independent from Maine spoke Monday at a regional broadband summit hosted by Next Century Cities and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

The daylong Digital New England event is being held Monday in Portland.

Joining King in a keynote conversation were Susan Crawford, President Barack Obama’s former special assistant for science, technology, and innovation, and David Edelman, the president’s special assistant for economic and technology policy.

King is a strong proponent of technology and broadband infrastructure. He says that improving the state’s infrastructure can “improve the economic prospects for our state and put Maine on a path to prosperity.”